


Somber Snuggles

by OrangeSprout



Category: 2moons2
Genre: Comforting Nine, Fluff, Hugs, M/M, This goes nowhere, but it's cute, sulky Joong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 11:07:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20947331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeSprout/pseuds/OrangeSprout
Summary: Joong is being sulky again and Nine Comforts him.





	Somber Snuggles

**Author's Note:**

> I did try and proofread this but if I missed anything, I apologize.  
I just wanted to write something soft and (mostly) platonic. It's just two dudes being dudes and talking about their feelings, maybe. Enjoy.

Nine watched as Joong takes off his shirt, using more force than needed and ended up pulling out some hairs before tossing it to the ground with a soft thud. He thrust his jeans off, kicking them to the side as he steps out of them before falling to the bed, pillow pulled to his chest, face hidden away.

Nine sighed softly as he locks the door, stepping out of his shoes, he nudges Joongs shoes out of the way and to the side of the door. He picks up Joongs clothes and tosses them into the hamper in the corner as he makes his way to the bed.

He knows why Joong is sulking, he always does (ok sometimes he doesn't know but he has ways to figure it out so it's close enough). It’s nothing new. It’s nothing he's not used to. Nothing that he can’t handle. 

When he first met Joong, he was just a kid -still is a kid. They both were. Both were learning and changing and evolving every day. But Joong was so… so _fresh_? Fresh sounded weird. Newly formed? Like a baby larva. Nope, that still sounded weird. Nine wasn't sure what metaphor was good for this particular situation. Ah, he had it...

Joong was like a sponge and absorbed everything.

He had spent his time before studying and doing things with his family that he never experienced dating or getting out too much. If Nine was being honest he wasn’t much better, he only had one girlfriend before and it didn’t last long. He had too many things happening, trying to stay skinny, trying to propel his singing career, then his acting. Plus school. His schedule was full. Plus it never felt right, he liked to talk and flirt but he'd never really had that '_I need to date you' _moment so he could justify it with "schedule conflicts".

Nine had experienced some life, he had friends who showed him things –things like porn- and taught him life lessons. He’d -for a short period- experienced dating, liking someone like that, kissing, fooling around, breaking up. 

Joong hadn’t. Joong was still young. _Fresh_ (per se). Like a baby sea turtle.

Nine realized very quickly that Joong was a sponge. That meant that everything they did together had an effect, whenever he made a perverted joke, whenever someone hit on Joong, whenever Joong received criticism, all of it affects Joong differently than it did Nine. _Obviously_.

Nine remembers their first kiss for the show, the night before Joong had expressed his nerves over the situation. Joong had never experienced these things. He didn’t know how to handle these things, handle these feelings. Nine wasn't really much help but they talk about it and they practiced. Because it was better to get over the nerves of kissing a guy for the first time in the safety of Nines apartment alone than in front of everyone on the crew. Not that they would ever admit to it. But Joong was understandably nervous about these new things happening in his life. He was young and impressionable.

Nine was there to help. Always. Since basically the first day they meet.

Or at least he tried to be. He was only human himself. It became easier the closer they, to understand Joong and help him. And for the most part, Nine has been able to help Joong through most of the things he struggles with. Plus his family has been there to help as well. Nine is grateful that his family has basically adopted Joong at this point because Joong needs his surrogate family. Joong needs the support of a family. Plus, Joong is a big part of his life, he wouldn’t know how to handle it if his family didn’t like Joong.

The only thing Nine hadn’t been able to help Joong with was his jealousy. 

Nine has a theory, Joong always had his family close and there for him and now that he has moved away from them he’s afraid that he’ll never see them again. (Which isn't true because he talks to them all the time on the phone or through video chat and they visit each other. Plus his aunts lives here, in Thailand, His aunt's apartment is supposed to be where he stays anyway, so she's a family member there for him.) Thus his jealousy is that he doesn’t want to lose the person he feels closest to. He needs the reassurance that the people he cares about are close to him. Or something like that. It’s just a guess. Or a theory.

That brings Nine to his current situation. They did a live recently (A few hours ago and he had hoped that food would better the mood but it just gave Joong a chance to stew and seems to have made things worse), and unsurprisingly fans asked them to either A) date them B) date each other or C) they made comments about ghost ships.

Joong liked it when fans comment on how cute they looked together because, well they _were_ cute together. They were to incredibly cute people, so of course, they would be cute together.

The questions about could they date one or another of the fans was just standard, it’s not that it couldn’t happen, it’s that it probably won’t ever happen. Highly improbably. But the fans loved that kind of service so sometimes it was nice to indulge them, although most times he tried to persuade them away. Partially for humor and partial in the hopes that they wouldn’t ask anymore.

The part about ghost ships.

Joong was... possessive. He was possessive, with strangers, over things that were his. That included items or people. Joong didn’t want people touching what he viewed as' his'. That being said if someone were part of what Joong included as 'his' said person had free reign over Joongs possessions….. Meaning Nine could touch or use whatever he wanted of Joongs because Nine was included in what Joong called ‘his’.

Which was nice for Nine because Joong liked to share. Joong likes to do things for or with those he considered close. He let Nine boss him around and use his clothes but he also likes to borrow Nine's stuff because it made him feel close to Nine. Showing possession. Like reverse possession? Self-proclaimed possession. Nine wasn’t sure. It was cute. It was nice to know that Joong cares for him as much as he cared for Joong. 

Although he did love to tease Joong about his shirts because they were either tight on him or he left them open to show off his chest open. Mainly because Joong teased him about his own showing of skin. It was only fair.

…Back to the reason Joong was sulking.

Nine sat on the bed, laying his hand softly on Joongs back. “The fans just like to tease you.”

Joong mumbles something before pushing his face deeper into the pillow. Nine sighs, palm drawing a figure eight of the middle of Joongs back. “You know I will always choose you over anyone else, right? Over Joss or Ben or Pavel or anyone.”

Joong shifts enough to lay sideways on the pillow, facing the opposite wall as he mumbles. “I don’t care.”

“I already told Joss that I would never date him, you don't-”

“I don’t care who you date.” Joong snaps. Nine purses his lips.

“Then why are you sulking? Do you want to date him?” Nine said, raising his voice in the threat.

“Because I don’t care who you date. Date Joss and Ben and whoever else you want." Joong motions his hand in a circle before letting it flop to the bed. "At the same time if you want. Whatever. I don't care.” He snarled. It definitely sounded like he cared.

“What if I did?”

“Do it?”

Nine pinches the bridge of his nose, this was getting nowhere. “Why are you sulking?”

“I’m not sulking”

“Not from where I’m standing”

“Your siting” 

Nine rolls his eyes so hard it hurt before glaring at Joong. Clenching and unclenching his fist a few times so he didn't say something he would regret. He's not mad at Joong but he's mad that Joong doesn't want to talk to him. He doesn't understand why sometimes Joong has no problem rambling off everything little thing that bothers him but when real problems come up that actually bother him, he clams up. There was only one way to deal with Joong when he was like this.

“Then you should go, I’m going to call Joss to come over.”

“No”

“What are you, a child?” Nine nudges his leg.

“You can’t call him.”

“You just said I could date whoever I want”

“I lied.”

Nine took a deep breath, letting his head roll on his shoulder. A small smile creeping upon his lips. Finally, they were getting somewhere. “I know.”

Joong growls before he pushes himself to sit up, leaning against the bed frame to glower at Nine, arms crossed over his chest. Sulking. Such a child. Nine bite his lip to keep from smiling. Even when Joong was being petulant he was still cute. 

“Don’t call Joss.”

Nine resist the urge to roll his eyes again at the obvious statement. “I wasn't going to.”

“I would prefer you to not date anyone….”

“Ok.” Nine concedes. He wasn't planning on anytime soon anyway.

Joongs arms fall to his lap, and he looks off to the side as he says, “I – I just don’t want to lose you.”

“The fans are joking about the ghost ships. And if and when I do decide to date someone, you still won’t lose me.”

Joong brows furrow together, lips pursed in disbelief. “It will _feel_ like it. They’ll take up _all_ your time and _I_ won’t be able to have you anymore.”

Nine inhales, holds it in before exhaling slowly. One day they might need to discuss how close they are to each other. One day, they really should. discuss how much they rely on each other, depend on, and need each other. Discuss how attached they are. Not now. Maybe not even in the near future. Just, one day.

Nine looks at Joong, whose lips are still turned down in a frown, eyes big and wide as he waits. Joong is the most patiently impatient person he knows. 

Slowly, Nine crawls into Joong's lap, legs barricading Joong in, arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him in tight. Chest to chest, hand cupping Joong neck before he whispers, “I’ll always be here for you and with you. _Always._”

“But I'm… - I’m scared of losing you.” Joong whispers, nose pressed into Nine's shoulder.

Nine nuzzles Joong temple, his hand running through the hairs at the base of Joongs neck before he gently scratches the scalp. “We’ll talk to the fans, I'm sure that most of them will understand and will stop teasing us about it.”

Joongs hands tightening around him, pressing Nine hard against his chest. Allowing Nine to feel the soft up and down of his diaphragm, the thrumming of the steadily beating heart underneath. Nine allows the tense fingers to dig momentarily into his sides as Joong presses his face into his neck. It's bordering painful, how tightly Joong is holding him. He allows Joong to take a few deep breathes to center himself before he says anything else.

“You’re my best friend. My brother. My... Mine.” Nine feels a small smile against his neck, “Plus, my family has claimed you, you're stuck with us.”

Joong chuckles softly. “My family loves you too.”

With that, the tension dissipates. Joong relaxes around Nine but doesn’t let go. “I’m sorry.”

“I know you are.” Nine smirks.

“I just… get jealous,” Joong says, lips brushing over Nines neck, finders fiddling with the back of his shirt.

“Well, Joss did hit on me in front of you.” Nine smiles as Joong nips his shoulder at his disdain for the statement. “He’s not my type though.”

“I know,” Joong says with an air of confidence.

It was in moments like this when Nine could honestly say he loved Joong. Joong was his best friend, the closest person to him both in the physical sense and the mental one. It was easy for them to quarrel over small things because they knew so, much about each other. They were too close. So yes, he loved Joong. He knew Joong loved him.

"I'll make sure to keep my flirting strictly with you from now on." Nine teases.

"Good. Joss doesn't deserve you anyway." Nine could hear the pout in Joong's voice.

"Who does?"

"I don't know yet, I'll tell you when I figure it out."

Nine chuckles at that. "I'll be waiting."

Joongs hands run over his back, creating nonsensical patterns. "You make it too easy to care about you too much."

"Only for you." The words fall in the air, settling their like border to the world. 

Joong would always care too much over things he claims are 'his' but Nines had enough experience with Joong to know how to handle his sulky possessive moments. Nine has his moments too and Joong deals with him, so it's only fair.

Eventually, Joong pulls him sideways onto the bed, limbs still half-hazardly tangled together. Nine's shirt is pulled off and jeans kicked to the side before the covers are pulled up, tucked by their ears.

Most nights they sleep separately, one opposite side of the bed. Both allowed the space to do as they please in their sleep. 

Sometimes, though, like this night, it’s nice to fall asleep so close to someone. 

Nines realizes now and every time it happens that maybe it helps Joong feel safe, feels comforted, gives him something tangible to hold onto. Nine realizes that he always feels better the days too, on the nights they sleep close -tangled- together. There was just something about being wrapped in the warmth of someone you care about. Like a safety blanket. Like the feeling of ever-present warmth and safety. (Maybe also just a hint of chemical bonding that he read about in science class one time.)

Joong got sulky often but it wasn't often that it was bad. Most of the time a soft apology and some interaction could pull him right out of his funk. Sometimes though, Joong needed more. Joong needed snuggles. Snuggles that Nine was more than willing to give. 

Sometimes he wanted to give them out even when Joong wasn't sulking but he hadn't yet. He hoped maybe in the future, snuggles would be more readily available and Joong wouldn't get so worked up over silly things. 

Until then, Nine knew how to handle, his best friend, Joong. Smiles, hugs, reassurance, and snuggles.


End file.
